Out Of The Black, Into The Sun
by Gypsy Lupin-Black
Summary: River's POV, after the events of the movie Serenity. River is coping with changes. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Out Of The Black, Into The Sun

Author: Gypsy Lupin-Black

Disclaimer: River and all the other wonderful characters belong to the god Joss Whedon. I am making no money off this. Just trying to spread the Firefly goodness around!

This is dedicated to the strongest, most wonderful little spirit I ever knew, taken at only 4 months of age, but with me always.

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Funny, why was everything so funny for this crowd of people? This crew, brought together for different reasons, on a ship one could never really leave, and yet they all sat around the table, sharing rations and laughing. Stories with ribcages in them… What was funny about that?

River cocked her head to the side, watching them from behind the counter. Wash was beside Zoe, on her left, as usual. He was always on her left. Why? And Inara and Mal, recently seen together much more often. After the whole attack on Mr. Universe, Inara had decided to stay, and that made Mal very happy. Simon and Kaylee were noticeably absent, but that wasn't a new occurrence lately. There was always music coming from their quarters lately.

Zoe stopped laughing first. She sighed and picked at her food, before catching herself and taking a bite. Mal hadn't noticed. Just River. But she couldn't understand why Zoe was sad. Jayne said it was because Wash got impaled, but River didn't believe that. He was sitting right there. On Zoe's left. Laughing with Mal, Inara, Book, and Jayne.

River felt the left side of her mouth quirk up. Books hear was put away, which was good. But no one else but Wash seemed to hear him when he talked. Maybe if he released his hair they'd notice him. Or they'd all run screaming from the room. That would be the sane option, in River's opinion.

It was all so confusing. Places were so crowded, voices everywhere, laughing, music, heat, sweat, sadness, joy, sickness, spinning- spinning--spin!

Silence. Warm darkness, then the caress of fur. A rumbling purr filled the air, and that was it. River felt peace. Felt love. The chaos was pushed back for a few moments, and the world was mathematical. She opened her eyes. A small grey cat with white whiskers and yellow eyes was staring at her, his face inches from River's nose. Upon seeing her look at him, he purred harder, his whole body rumbling and trembling with the force of his contentment.

The cat, barely more than a kitten, lifted his right paw and placed it on her cheek. The whiteness of his paws stood out from the rest of his little grey body. River touched his ears, his whiskers, his tail, remembering him again, her own little Serenity.

There were footsteps behind her. She didn't turn. Jayne leaned in the doorway of her room, watching her touch the kitten. "You ran out of the kitchen pretty fast. You seeing things again?"

"I'm only seeing what's there." River picked the kitten up and placed it on her shoulder. He kneeded her dress straps, his little claws catching and releasing the fabric. She turned to look at Jayne, the cat's tail curling around her face and neck.

"Do you have a name for the little guy yet? Mal keeps asking me what name he should be yelling when he finds the monster in his quarters." Jayne turned and started walking back toward the galley. "Just make sure he don't get out. Kaylee don't want to find him all squished in her engine."

She still unnerved him. After all this, all they'd been through, all the fights, she unnerved him. She'd asked him about it, but he'd never answered. He'd waved it off, or went to talk to Mal in another part of the ship. Simon had tried her on a different medicine after she started talking to Wash and Book, and Zoe wasn't talking to her at all.

What was wrong with everyone? Mal was always asking her to fly the ship, when Wash was right there, perfectly capable of doing it himself. She'd always let him have the pilot's chair, and listened to his directions while she flew from the copilot's spot. Mal had finally gave up and told her to fly from wherever she wanted, as long as she didn't crash his ship.

Speaking of flying… River watched Wash walk by her room and head up the stairs towards the bridge. It was time to make their entry into Persephone. Mal would get mad if she didn't go up there and help Wash land. The little grey cat on her shoulders, River followed Wash up the stairs, her bare feet making almost no noise on the metal grating.

---Please Read and Review, more later!


	2. Persephone

Title: Out Of The Black, Into The Sun

Author: Merrov (Gypsy Lupin-Black on River and all the other wonderful characters belong to the god Joss Whedon. I am making no money off this. Just trying to spread the Firefly goodness around!

This is dedicated to the strongest, most wonderful little spirit I ever knew, taken at only 4 months of age, but with me always.

Chapter 2: Persephone

Persephone was a strange place. Chaotic, yet everyone seemed to have a purpose. River wasn't really sure what to make of all the different people and impressions as she rode on the back of the mule to get engine parts with Kaylee. Simon hadn't wanted her to leave the ship at all, but everyone else had things to do. Kaylee said she could use the extra hands, and before Simon could say no again, River was sitting on the back of the mule, goggles down, kitten in the leather satchel over her shoulders. Both River and the kitten had turned and stared at Simon, as if daring him to tell them to get off. Simon had thrown up his hands and told them to be careful, earning a kiss on the cheek from Kaylee before they left the ship.

Mal had come up to the bridge while River and Wash were landing. He'd watched silently for a moment, then reminded River that Persephone was going to be a different place now that the Alliance's big secret was out. River had just nodded. She knew that already.

Boxes, boxes, crates, crates, cartons, and more boxes! Finally the mule was loaded, and Kaylee handed over the coins. River took stock of the mule as she climbed on top of the highest crate. The back end of the mule was sunk much closer to the ground then it should have been. It would be a slower ride back to Serenity. River found that she didn't really mind. Kaylee started the mule and they eased out of the warehouse and into the crowded streets of the Evesdown Docks. River smiled as she looked around, taking in everything the crowd was doing.

Feelings, impressions, actions, reactions, they were all connected and made up the life and breath of the streets. It wasn't just the current crowd, either. River could feel the beat of thousands of feet, the crunch of tires, and the coughing and humming of millions of engines backward and forward in time. Normally, this would have been the ingredients for a cacophony that River would not have been able to stand. It would have sent her running for the ship, for the gentle hum of her hiding place-- a crawlspace directly under the engine.

Today was different. Her kitten meowed and poked his head out of the satchel that River still carried, and watched the crowd curiously. Maybe it was his little presence, so close to her, that enabled her to take this chaos. There was certainly no mathematic explanation for the shifting crowds, the scuffling dust and rocks, the smells of cooking food, blood, exhaust, and powder. River looked down at her little slice of serenity, and gave him a bright smile. She'd have to remember to thank Jayne for giving this little body of fluff and curiosity to her. Perhaps she'd knit him a hat? "Kaylee?" River called down from her perch.

"Yes, River?" Kaylee didn't turn to look at her, she was too busy watching the people, making sure no one ran in front of the mule.

"Can we get some yarn? I want to figure out how to knit." that earned River a quick glance. Then Kaylee laughed and nodded.

"Let's drop this load off, then we'll go for a walk, ok?" River nodded and watched as they turned a corner and Serenity came in sight.

River liked being able to walk around Persephone. Mal wasn't as worried now about the Alliance looking for Simon and her. Of course, Simon was still worried, but he always worried. It was part of what made him a good brother and doctor. River smiled and followed Kaylee down the busy street.

Nothing was visually different about her surroundings, but she could feel it. River could feel the shift in the way people thought and viewed the Alliance and the world in general. What they had done- getting Miranda's secret out- had made a difference as surly as the worlds turn.

"River? You think we should look here?" Kaylee pulled River out of her thoughts. She looked where the mechanic was pointing and nodded. The street vendor had a colourful display of crafty things- things for kitchens, things to hang on walls, clothing patterns and fabrics. If anyone would have yard for cheap, it'd be this place. While Kaylee spoke to the vendor, River poked through the wicker baskets full of sewing kits, fabrics, patterns, paints, and brushes, until she finally came upon what she was looking for. Tucked under a sack of paint brushes, River found a rainbow lining the bottom of the basket.

Pink, yellow, purple, red, blue, orange… it was all there. Any colour she wanted. River slowly sank her fingers into the bundle, feeling the soft scratchiness of as her hands disappeared in the clouds. She closed her eyes, just feeling he strands, until her fingers came upon something hard and metal. Pulling it out, she found herself examining a pair of yarn hooks. A smile quirking her lips, River pulled the bundled rainbow out of the basket and carried it and the yarn hooks to Kaylee.

All bought and paid for, River raced Kaylee back to Serenity, rainbow clutched to her chest, kitten bouncing in his satchel. The sun was out, River was laughing, running, chasing Kaylee through the streets of Persephone, all the way home.

--Please read and review! More soon!


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